Mine
by ShinySilverVolvo
Summary: Still in her world of pity and pain after the Cullen's departure, the last thing Bella expected was for an angry, possessive, unpredictable wolf to imprint on her. Can she deal with Paul's world of anguish on top of her own, or will the sexual tension be enough for her to give into her raging desire?
1. Chapter 1

Mine

Chapter One:

Bella's POV:

I stared down at my burning hand, red and raw from the slap I had just delivered. I hissed out in pain, seething with anger- wasn't a hit supposed to be more painful if you were on the receiving end? I gritted my teeth and willed the water out of my eyes. Raising my line of vision up to what was once a mocking smirk, but had now contorted into a venomous scowl, I took a cautious step backwards. A low, feral growl sounded out, shaking me to my very core. Continuing to look up, I took in his strong jaw, straight nose and pronounced cheekbones. For a split second I lost myself in his in beauty, in the chiselled lines of his face and the smooth caramel colour of his skin. But then a second growl echoed throughout the small clearing, even more terrifying than the first, and my eyes instantly snapped up to meet his.

For seconds that felt like hours, my whole world was the deep, rich, brown colour of his eyes. Goosebumps travelled along my arms and up the back of my neck, causing me to shiver with an emotion that I didn't quite recognise. For the first time in months, not a single part of me was focused on the agonising hole in my chest. In fact, it was as if staring into the boy's eyes was some kind of miracle pain relief, or as if they were sucking up all of my troubles and destroying them with one long, smouldering stare. Not a coherent thought ran through my brain, but one thing my body and mind could agree on was this: I wanted more of him, I wanted to be near him. I was almost about to give into that raging desire when a muffled voice broke me out of my reverie.

"Now she's done it."

The third and final growl was by far the loudest, but different compared to the others. It sounded like he was announcing something rather than presenting a warning or threat. The following minute passed by in such a blur that I had trouble putting it all together:

Sam Uley's eyes flashed with an emotion that wasn't far off fear, and he ran towards me quicker than I could blink.

Within seconds I was on the floor, his abnormally warm hand cradling my head before it could hit the hard dirt ground.

Peering through the crack between Sam's ridiculously muscled arm and torso, I spotted a flash of light grey fur. That certainly caught my attention.

Awoken by all of the noise, Jacob ran out of his bedroom and took in the whole scene. "Don't you hurt her!" He yelled, then continued to run towards us, eyes set on one particular target.

I wanted to shout at Jake to stop, to not hurt him… whoever he was. But you can imagine my surprise when my best friend leapt over a stray log and transformed into a massive wolf mid-air. The same wolf I had seen in the clearing when Laurent had been so very close to making a meal out of me.

So I had been right. The secret that Jacob was forbidden to tell me was what I had suspected- they were werewolves. All of them.

Sam met my eyes then- his were solemn and stern. I could feel him trying to read my facial expression, trying to predict my next move. But I just lay there, my thoughts running wild. I was tempted to wriggle out of his grasp so I could see what was going on, and maybe try to end the fight. I heard pants, howls and animalistic grunts coming from a few feet away, but I couldn't make out who made what noise. Surely I could never escape from Sam's steel grip, and if so, what the hell could I do to stop them anyway? Typical Bella, completely helpless once again.

Sensing my obvious distress, Sam turned his head and barked out some orders.

"Embry, Jared, phase now. Put yourself between them, keep them away from each other before they do any real damage. I doubt they'll be cooling off anytime soon."

A short while after, Sam gracefully leapt off of me and I sat up so quickly that it made me dizzy. He moved to reveal four very naked boys, Embry and Jared in the middle with their arms spread out like eagles, as if to shield Jacob and the other boy from each other. I blushed and looked away quickly, not wanting to get caught staring.

"Back _off_ Paul. You're dangerous, she doesn't need you in her life right now." Jacob warned, placing his hands on either sides of Jared's shoulders, as if threatening to throw him aside and attack Paul once more.

 _Paul,_ I thought to myself. I then mouthed the name, but refrained from saying it out loud, no matter how badly I wanted to test how it sounded on my tongue.

" _Mine,_ Black. She's mine, and you know it." Paul replied menacingly, and the word 'mine' imprinted itself in my brain, echoing in my ears long after he had stopped speaking. The word made me shiver with the same, unknown emotion from earlier. Was he referring to me? If so, we needed to have a serious chat about consent. I didn't remember agreeing to be anyone's property.

"Forget it, Lahote. In a few days you'll be back to calling her 'leech-lover', and going around putting your dick in any hole you can find. Leave her out of your asshole mind-games."

At this Paul let out a growl, and I flinched. Oh, they were definitely talking about me.

"Stop getting pissy that she's mine, and not yours. She's never loved, or even liked you in that way for all these years, and you still think that's going to change? Pathetic." His tone was unbelievably cruel, and I noticed Jacob subtly wince.

That really hit a nerve- who the hell did he think he was, speaking to my best friend like that? And more importantly, talking about my love life as if he knew me at all!

"Shut up." I said, quietly but not weakly. They could all hear me, I knew as much. All five heads turned and faced towards me, along with a mixture of facial expressions: rage, shock, intrigue, appreciation and wariness.

"What did you say to me?" Paul asked, his tone eerily calm. The calm before the storm, as my father might have said.

Despite myself, my insides buzzed when he addressed me. It set me up with an unearned confidence, which urged me to speak again. "I said: Shut. Up."

He blinked, cocked his head to the side, and took a single step forward. The act made me shift my weight nervously.

"And why the hell would I do that?"

"Why the hell would you say that to him?"

He laughed then, a cold, bitter sound. "I see. You're sticking up for him- feeling guilty about the truth."

I glared at him with all that I had, which wasn't very much when I took in his intimidating frame and severe eyes.

"Nothing to say to that?" He mocked, taking more steps forwards.

"Paul." Sam warned in a stern voice, but got no response from the feral-looking man.

Within seconds, his long strides brought us face to face- well, I had to strain my neck to see his face, but still.

"Why feel guilty about it? It's not going to change the truth." It sounded like a genuine question, and I might have considered replying if I wasn't at a total loss for words. A single glance down and I would have seen all of him. _All_ of him. I attempted to keep the blush off of my cheeks and ignore the way my stomach churned excitedly. What on earth was going on with me?

Paul's eyebrows furrowed, and I could sense him growing impatient. "Answer me." He all but growled.

"No." I said adamantly, refusing to embarrass myself or Jacob with so many witnesses present. I also found it utterly absurd that he expected me to admit something that intimate without me even knowing who he was.

Paul took another step towards me, and I drew in a sharp breath- one more step and he would be completely pressed against me. His large, strong hand shot out and cupped my jaw roughly, and I jerked back in surprise.

"Trust me, you won't want to say that again." He breathed, and I contemplated saying it once more just to see what Paul would do. However, I did still have some sense of self-preservation, though Edward had taken most of it with him when the Cullen's left. Dick.

"Paul." Sam said once more, but the wolf was completely concentrated on getting an answer out of me.

"Why don't you just tell the pathetic pup that you don't want him, Bella?" My name rolled of his tongue so perfectly, forcing a pleasured shiver out of me. He grinned at that, showcasing a deadly beautiful set of teeth. Seriously, how could someone's teeth be beautiful? I shivered again, and Paul looked positively delighted.

"Fair enough. But you know you will eventually." He said, satisfied for now. "You're mine, Isabella, and I'll make that clear to you very soon."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed- please review, it means the world! Also, I can't believe I've actually forgotten what colour Paul's wolf is, I just went with grey, but any help with that would be great.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Bella's POV:

I leant my head against the passenger seat window of my truck and closed my eyes, letting the cool glass soothe my aching head. Embry and Jared were bickering about something or other in the cramped seats next to me, but I couldn't be bothered to follow their topic of conversation. Sam had ordered both Jacob and Paul to stay behind, and after a while of protesting they finally agreed that some discussion was needed. I would have preferred to stay as well, so someone could tell me what the hell was going on. Four giant men phasing into four giant werewolves was definitely enough weirdness for one day, but my reaction to Paul was a whole other thing.

Now that I was no longer in such close proximity to him, my mind had cleared slightly. One minute I was slapping him, the next I was fawning over how gorgeous he was. My first thought was that he was a complete ass, laughing at me when I confronted them about Jake- he had been so patronising, and even now that my hand was still stinging I didn't regret slapping him. But then something changed, something clicked into place. And for the life of me, I still couldn't figure out what. I contemplated asking Embry or Jared, but then thought better of it. I hardly wanted to admit that I was still thinking about the tall, muscled, brooding wolf.

My truck came to a sudden stop and I jolted forwards, banging my arm against the glove compartment.

"You good?" Asked Embry with raised brows. I nodded my head mutely, although I'm sure I looked a complete state. We had pulled into a small driveway that lead to a pretty little cottage decorated with vines, roses and bluebells. The garden both smelt and looked beautiful, and I wondered how the owner kept the plants in such good condition with such awful weather.

"Where are we?" I asked, my voice sounding small and apprehensive.

"Emily's house- she's Sam's fiancé."

Jared opened the door without knocking, and the two boys strolled indoors causally, shouting out a few words of greeting. I followed them, unsure of what else to do.

"Hey boys. Where are the others?" Asked a soft female voice.

"There were a few complications." Jared said, his mouth full with some sort of food. "Long story short: Bella over there" he gestured towards me, and I tried not to shrink into my shoulders. "knows that we're wolves. Paul got mad and phased, then he and Jake started fighting, Sam got involved and kept them behind, blah blah blah."

"I see." Emily looked over to me, and I made the mistake of staring for a little too long. Three thick scars ran from her forehead all the way down to her collarbone, marring the whole left side of her face. The right side was so beautiful and kind, a complete contrast. She gave a small, knowing smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh, and also, Paul imprinted on Bella."

Emily's eyes widened at this, and my head snapped to look at Jared. "Excuse me?"

"What, you couldn't tell? I thought the 'You're mine' speech would've given it away."

"Slow the hell down. What's imprinting?"

Both boys looked at each other, then back at me. "Jake didn't tell you about that part? I guess it makes sense, seeing that he was kind of bummed about not imprinting on you."

"Jacob didn't tell me anything." I said defensively, folding my arms across my chest. "I figured it out."

"Clever girl." Commented Emily, put I was too worked up to blush at the praise.

"We should probably let Paul tell her. It is kind of his right." Embry interrupted.

"No." I said automatically, in the same adamant tone I had used with Paul. I was not going to sit in the dark any longer.

He raised one eyebrow. "Favourite word of yours?"

I threw my head back in frustration, but refrained from stomping my foot against the ground like a stroppy teen. "Just tell me."

Jared sighed and clicked his tongue, then looked over to Emily with trusting eyes. "What do you think?"

She tucked a strand of thick, dark hair behind her ear and drummed her fingers against the kitchen counter. "As long as you aren't afraid of Sam and Paul giving you grief, I think it's only fair that you tell Bella now that she knows you're hiding something from her."

I sighed in relief, my head throbbing in anticipation.

"Okay. You might wanna sit down- this gets slightly weird." Jared warned, and this time it was my turn to raise my brows.

"Any weirder than what I've already seen?"

His hesitation was the only answer I needed, so I pulled out a chair and sat down silently.

"Right, so out of the five of us, only Sam and I have imprinted. Sam on Emily, and me on a girl called Kim. You'll love her- she's so kind and pretty and amazing." Out of the corner of my eye I spotted Embry roll his eyes, and Emily let out a giggle. "As soon as you look into their eyes, it's like your soul is tied to theirs. They instantly become the most important person in your life, like it's not gravity that pulls you down to the earth, but them."

It took me a few moments to force any words out. "And Paul… did that… to me?"

Jared scratched the back of his neck. "Well, he didn't really have a choice."

"Then who choses?"

He shrugged. "The gods, I guess."  
I wasn't satisfied with that answer, but kept my mouth shut. "But I don't feel that way towards Paul. Not that intense at all. So you're probably wrong- maybe he didn't imprint on me." My tone was filled with relief, though it wasn't wholly genuine. To some extent, I was slightly disappointed with my conclusion, although I'd never admit it.

It was Emily who spoke this time. "The imprintee feels a very dulled down version of what the wolf feels. That is, until he or she is marked." She pulled down the arm of lavender her shirt and revealed more of her copper-coloured skin. On the space between her neck and shoulder was a huge bite mark. Two deep punctures that had now formed scars.

"As soon as I was marked, my connection to Sam was a million times stronger. The wolf marks his mate to tie her down, although Sam consulted me before doing it, of course. I could never leave him, lie to him, hurt him or love another man. I'm his eternally." She said with a love-sick smile on her face, and I secretly agreed with Embry's gagging gestures.

"Jesus. I could never imagine Paul being tied down to anyone, especially-" Jared looked over to me and trailed off his sentence.

"The leech-lover?" I finished for him, and he gave an apologetic smile. I rubbed my chest instinctively, although the pain still hadn't fully returned. Not knowing how to process this new information, I sat there in silence and fiddled with my thumbs. _What now?_ I thought to myself, stomach churning and thoughts running wild.

"Why did he call me his? Y'know, when he started saying 'mine'." I blurted out.

Jared gave an amused smile and shrugged. "I guess that's just how he feels. After imprinting on Kim, I read some old legends about this shit. Some wolves were so possessive over their mates that they would keep them in cages."

I felt the blood drain out of my face.

"Jared!" Emily scolded.

"What?" He asked innocently. "All I'm saying is that some wolves chose to be less… gentle with their mates than others do. They enjoy punishment." He gave a menacing smirk and I dropped my head to the table, covering my ears before Jared could make me feel even more sick. I heard muffled laughter and hissed in annoyance.

"I can hear them now. They're walking back in human form." Embry stated, and I raised my head from the table slowly.

"Any more questions before your one and only returns, Bells?" Jared asked teasingly, already picking up on my nickname.

I thought about it, and then nodded. "I slapped Paul, and he got angry, but didn't explode until a few minutes after. I don't understand."

"You slapped Paul?" Emily all but gasped, her hand flying to her chest.

"Yeah," Embry snorted. "She's a badass."

I blushed and rolled my eyes. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Sure." Jared said, speaking with his mouth full again. "So basically, you slapped him and he growled at you in warning. He had just imprinted on you at that point, so was probably having mixed emotions about phasing on the spot and freaking you out. From how I saw it, he was giving you the chance to back down and show your submission- in human talk, he was waiting for you to say sorry. So he was staring you down, waiting, but you just glared back. He growled again and you still didn't move, so I guess that's what pushed him over the edge and made him phase."

"Huh." I said, finding this unbelievably weird but so intriguing at the same time.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked, eyes wide and full of concern.

I nodded. "Sam pushed me out of the way in time."

"Shhh." Embry hushed me, and I gave him an offended glare. He shrugged and spoke in a low voice. "If they- well, Paul- hears that we've been talking about them, he won't be happy. He won't be happy that you're talking to any other male but him, if I'm honest."

I cringed and took in a deep breath. "Well he's going to have to get over it. I have friendships to uphold."

Emily and Jared shared a worried glance. Embry just laughed, leaning back in his chair carelessly. "Boy, this is gonna be fun to watch."


End file.
